Caliphate of Cordoba

The Caliphate of Cordoba was a Muslim caliphate in the Iberian Peninsula that existed from 929 to 1031, succeeding the Emirate of Cordoba and preceding the taifa period. Ruled by the Umayyads, the caliphate expanded trade and culture, and masterpieces of al-Andalus architecture were built. Abd-al-Rahman III was the first Cordoban emir to proclaim himself "caliph", and the caliphate existed until it disintegrated after a series of civil wars in the early 11th century. In 1031, the caliphate fractured into a number of smaller Moorish kingdoms.